LONDON (Reuters) – British inflation fell by much more than expected in November, possibly reflecting Black Friday discounts as clothing and footwear prices dropped sharply, official data showed on Wednesday.
Consumer prices rose 0.3% in annual terms, after a 0.7% rise in October. A Reuters poll of economists had pointed to a reading of 0.6%.
In November alone, clothing and footwear prices slumped 2.6% – in contrast with a 1.0% increase last year.
“The price fall in November this year reflects increased discounting and there have been media reports that some Black Friday sales may have spread further across the month,” the Office for National Statistics said.
(Reporting by Andy Bruce and David Milliken, Editing by Paul Sandle)
